Dynamic wall squat machine

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a dynamic wall squat machine which assists the user to perform the exercise safely and more effectively by the ability to scale the exercise with empirical resistance. The dynamic wall squat machine assists the user to load and use wall squat exercise dynamically with three types of scaled resistance and in a safe way. The limited length of the back pad allows the user to get a natural healthy and safe extension of the lower back during the wall squat exercise. The upper back portion is supported by the back pad, while the lower portion can move naturally. The dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention provides a more comfortable, effective, and safe movement for the dynamic or static wall squat exercise, especially when the user adds resistance to the exercise which can be loaded and used safely.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the priority date of the provisionalpatent application No. 62/243,923 filed Oct. 20, 2015.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to fitness and exerciseequipment and especially to a dynamic wall squat machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The wall squat is an exercise used to strengthen the leg muscles, withan emphasis on the quadriceps muscles. To perform wall squats, a personstands with the back flat against a wall and the feet generally a fewfeet away from the wall. A stability ball may be placed in between thewall and the back. The person leans into the ball or wall with the feetfirmly on the ground. The person then bends the hips and knees to lowerthemselves, in a squat movement, allowing the ball to roll along theback or the back to slide against the wall. The knees bend as the persondescends into the lowest position possible, given their particular rangeof motion and level of flexibility. Then, the person may press upagainst the floor and the wall to return to the starting positionwhereby the knees are completely extended and the legs become straight.This exercise is commonly static, i.e., the person holds themselves in asemi-squat position with an isometric muscular contraction for a givenperiod of time. It may also be done dynamically, whereby the personmoves in and out of the squat position. The abdominal and other coremuscles are also contracted during this exercise.

This is a very intense work out for the quadriceps muscles, and it canbe very painful to hold this position for extended periods of time. Thewall squat is used as a primary strengthening exercise in many sportsrequiring strong quadriceps muscles and knee joints, like ice hockey,sailing, skiing, fencing and track and field. For example, a runner whowants to increase their speed, build endurance, and have the ability torun up and down hills effectively, needs to have strong quads.Strengthening the thighs can also prevent injuries such as runner'sknee. This common injury, which often happens to new runners, is tied toa combination of weak quads and tight hamstrings and calves. Wall squatsare the perfect exercise to strengthen the upper legs.

Several muscles in the lower body are used in the wall squat. Thegluteus maximus that makes up the buttocks is used to extend the hipsduring the upward phase of this exercise. The hamstrings assist theglutes with hip extension and also they work to flex the knee during thedownward motion. The quadriceps is responsible for extending the kneesas returning to the standing position. The core muscles also work duringthe wall squat exercise to support and stabilize the upper body.

In this exercise, the knees bear most of the load, especially when heldat 90 degrees. Therefore, it is a potentially injurious exercise forsomeone with an existing knee problem. To solve this problem, one canmake this exercise more dynamic. In this regard, a dynamic machine forthe wall squat exercise which provides a safe movement to preventinjuries to the knees is needed. The machine should allow a naturalmovement by supporting the upper back and allowing a healthy extensionof the lower back during the movement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a dynamic wall squat machine which assists theuser to perform this exercise safely and more effectively with theability so scale the exercise with empirical resistance.

The dynamic wall squat machine provides a flat limited back pad whichallows the user of the machine to have a natural extension during thewall squat exercise. The upper back is supported by the back pad, whilethe lower back can move naturally. An extension of the lower back isalso the safest position to prevent back injury while supporting weightor resistance.

The dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention provides acomfortable movement for the wall squat exercise, especially when theuser adds resistance to the exercise. The dynamic wall squat machine ofthe present invention can be used as a back squat or a front squatstrengthening exercise by changing the position of one's feet.

The wall squat exercise can cause knee pain, especially if it isincorrectly performed. The present invention allows one to perform awall squat exercise without getting injured, even if they perform itincorrectly. This machine includes safety stoppers to allow theresistance to be lowered and held at any time.

The dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention also provides anew solution to allow for loading desired muscles while preventingpotential injuries to other muscles. The present invention provides anergonomical support for the upper back while doing the exercise, andallows the lower back to extend below the back support pad. This naturalmovement of the upper body is very important to prevent injuries duringthe exercise.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will bereadily appreciated from the following description. The descriptionmakes reference to the accompanying drawings which are provided forillustration of the preferred embodiment. However, such embodiments donot represent the full scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments herein will hereinafter be described in conjunction with theappended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope ofthe claims, wherein designations denote like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an individual doing the bodyweight wall squat exercise;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a dynamic wall squat machine of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 shows a front view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the presentinvention with a user doing the squat exercise; and

FIG. 6 shows a side view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the presentinvention with a user doing the squat exercise.

The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the presentinvention to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood thatthe invention can be practiced with modification and alteration, andthat the disclosed technology be limited only by the claims andequivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The technology disclosed herein, in accordance with one or more variousembodiments, is described in detail with reference to the followingfigures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only andmerely depict typical or example embodiments of the disclosedtechnology. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader'sunderstanding of the disclosed technology and shall not be consideredlimiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability thereof. It should benoted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are notnecessarily made to scale.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bodyweight wall squat is an exercise to increasestrength and stability in the lower-body with an emphasis on the quads.Performing the exercise on a wall 100 will assist the user 20 withgetting adapted to greater muscular endurance when completing a statichold. Also, it leads to improve muscular strength and posture whencompleting the exercise via moving in and out of the squat position. Theuser 20 stands with her back against the wall 100, placing feet 21 abouttwo feet out in front of her. The user 20 bends the knees, slides downthe wall 100 until knees 22 are at approximately 90 degree angles,typically for a static hold, or as low as the person's flexibility orrange of motion will allow. The user 20 may squat down by pushing herhips 23 back against the wall 100 and keep the arms 24 out for balance,then stand back up, and return to the starting position. To make thismovement more challenging, resistance may be added by holding a dumbbell(not shown) in each hand or holding a weight by the user 20 during theexercise.

FIGS. 2-4 show a dynamic wall squat machine 10 of the present inventionto provide a dynamic wall squat exercise that is convenient and safe. Adynamic wall squat machine 10 comprising of a stand 11 having a rightand a left longitudinally extended beams 12-13 with ground engaging legs14-17 to stably support the dynamic wall squat machine 10, wherein thespacing between the right and left beams 12-13 defines the width of thestand 11; a set of right and left stationary vertical uprights 18-19rigidly is connected to the stand 11, wherein the right and leftstationary vertical uprights 18-19 hold a movable station 30; and a setof cross beam 41-42 connects the stand 11 to a set of right and leftstationary beams 51-52 for extra rigidity.

The movable station 30 of the dynamic wall squat machine 10 of thepresent invention comprises of a base 31 having a set of cylindricalapertures 33 sized to receive the first set of right and left stationaryvertical uprights 18-19 and a set of holding racks 34-35 to hold aweight 40; a back supporting pad 36 to support a back portion of a user;a set of shoulder pads 37-38 to be placed on the shoulder of the user; aset of handles 43-44 connected to the set of shoulder pad 37-38; and alocking means 55 to lock the movable station 30 on the first set ofright and left stationary vertical uprights 18-19.

The dynamic wall squat machine 10 further has an adjustable stopper 60to hold the movable station 30 in a specific height based on the user'spreference. The set of holding racks 34-35 holds and receives standardOlympic plates on both sides and extends across the machine 10. A pairof stand supports 16-17 which are engaged with the ground is provided toadd stability to the machine 10.

The back pad 36 includes a pair of shoulder pads 37-38 to hook theshoulders underneath them and a pair of hand grips 43-44 to provide agreater support during the exercise movement. When the handgrip 43-44 isheld by the user during a squat exercise, the movement can be performedin the most comfortable position. A locking means 55 is also mounted onthe top of the hand grips 43-44 for locking/unlocking the moving station30. The dynamic wall squat machine 10 further has a pair of band hooks61-62 to affix an elastic band to the machine 10 on both sides. Theelastic band (not shown) can be affixed to the machine 10 on both sidesby the band hooks 61-65 and the holding racks 34-35. The rubber bandscreate more resistance in addition to add weight plates on the holdingracks 34-35.

The back pad 36 and the shoulder pads 37-38 have a cushioned surface toprotect the back portion and the shoulders of the user. The thickness ofthe cushioned surface can be different. More thickness can reduce thepressure of the weight bar on the user's shoulder.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a user 20 performing a wall squat exercise whileusing the present invention 10. The back of the torso is placed againstthe back pad 36 of the machine 10 and the shoulders are placed under theshoulder pads 38. Legs 21 are positioned in a shoulder width and amedium stance with the toes is slightly pointed out. The user 20 maykeep head up and also maintain the back on and against the pad 36 at alltimes. The arms 24 are placed on the side handles 44 of the machine 10and disengage the safety bars 55 (which on most designs is done bymoving the side handles from a facing front position to a sideposition). The user 20 will generally straighten the legs 21 and extendthe knees 22 into a locked out position to engage the resistance andbegin the exercise. This will be the starting position. The user 20 thenbegins to slowly lower the moving station 30 by bending the knees 22 asmaintaining a straight posture with the head up and back on the pad 36at all times. Then they continue down, generally until the angle betweenthe upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees oruntil they are in the lowest point of the squat position, with respectto the given user's flexibility and range of motion.

As shown in FIG. 6, the limited back pad 36 allows the user's back 23 toa normal and healthy backward extension. A hypothetical wall 70 is shownin the figure which points out the location of the user's back 23 if thewall 70 involved in this exercise. In a regular wall squat exercise doneagainst the wall 100 as shown in FIG. 1, this extension is limited bythe wall 100.

The user can make this exercise more challenging by changing his/herfoot position. That is, the user may move the position of the feetfurther away from the wall, and/or into a wider stance causing differentand alternative adaptations to the leg muscles. This movement emphasizesthe quadriceps muscles, which are responsible for extending the knees toreturn to the standing position.

Several muscles in the lower body are used to perform a squat exercise.The various gluteus muscles that make up the buttocks are used to extendthe hips during the upward phase of the exercise. The hamstrings assistthe glutes with hip extension and also work to flex the knee during thedownward motion. Core muscles also work during the wall squat to supportand stabilize the upper body. Changing the feet position during theexercise may cause more tension and therefore emphasizes on differentaspects of these muscles.

Again as shown in FIGS. 2-6, the wall squat dynamic machine 10 includesa pair of band hooks 61-62. This enables the user to workout withresistance bands to provide an additional form of resistance whilemoving up and completing this exercise. Thus, three forms of resistanceare possible during the wall squat exercise with the presentinvention—static weight, bands, and the combination of the two.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents maybe resorted to or falling within the scope of the invention.

With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that theoptimum relationships for the parts of the invention in regard to thesize, shape, form, materials, function and manner of operation,assembly, and use are deemed readily apparent and obvious to thoseskilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

What is claimed is: 1- A dynamic wall squat machine comprises of: a. astand having a right and a left longitudinally extended beams withground engaging legs to stably support the dynamic wall squat machine,wherein the spacing between the right and left beams defines the widthof the stand; b. a set of right and left stationary vertical uprightsrigidly connected to the stand, wherein said right and left stationaryvertical uprights holds a movable station; c. a set of cross beamconnecting the base to a set of right and left stationary beams forextra rigidity; d. said movable station comprising of: i. a base havinga set of apertures sized to receive said first set of right and leftstationary vertical uprights and a set of holding racks to hold aweight; ii. a back supporting pad to support back portion of a user;iii. a set of shoulder pads to be placed on the shoulder of the user;iv. a set of handles connected to said set of shoulder pad; v. a lockingmeans to lock said movable station on said first set of right and leftstationary vertical uprights; e. a safety stopper to hold said movablestation in a specific height based on the user's preference. 2- Thedynamic wall squat machine of claim 1, wherein said safety stopper isadjustable which stops said movable station on said set of right andleft stationary vertical uprights. 3- The dynamic wall squat machine ofclaim 1, wherein said back supporting pad is a flat limited back padwhich allows a user of said machine to have a natural extension duringthe wall squat exercise. 4- The dynamic wall squat machine of claim 1,wherein said machine further having a pair of band hooks to addresistance to the wall squat exercise. 5- The dynamic wall squat machineof claim 1, wherein said back supporting pad has a cushioned surface. 6-The dynamic wall squat machine of claim 1, wherein said set of shoulderpads have a cushioned surface.